Like it or not, Thomson’s brace of finishes beyond Celtic goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska will forever be the stuff of legend around Paisley parts.

Added to by another double from Welsh midfielder Andy Dorman, the famous 4-0 triumph remains perhaps the finest result pulled off at Greenhill Road.

The image of Thomson wheeling away, almost Alan Shearer-esq, after firing under the Pole is etched into the history books after a Celtic side, boasting the likes of Robbie Keane, couldn’t even get near Saints.

Outclassed and outfought, the goals from Dorman and Thomson would act as the curtain call to Tony Mowbray’s tenure in charge of the Hoops.

Thomson said: “When I speak to supporters, those two goals are always the first thing that comes up. I can’t complain, it’s not exactly the worst thing to be remembered for.

“It was a brilliant match to be a part of and it was just one of those nights where everything went right for us.

“It was a result we ultimately needed because it had been a testing time for the players, the staff and the supporters following the League Cup final.”

The League Cup final.

Any mention of the 2010 League Cup final defeat to nine-man Rangers brings a strain in the voice of anyone who played their part in it.

And Thomson concedes he is no different.

“I’ve never watched it back,” he admits.

“I know it will bother me and I will beat myself up over it.

“We played really well in that game and we were the better side.

“Then Kevin Thomson gets sent off for a tackle on me. That changed the game.

“Did that result have a lasting effect on that side? I don’t know.

“It is hard to win things in football and that is probably as close as you are ever going to get without actually doing it.

“It’s the closest thing I have to a regret in football.”

Signed from Brighton in 2009, the day St Mirren played their final game at Love Street ahead of their move to Greenhill Road, Thomson would go on to make over 100 appearances for the Buddies.

Heading to Saints following a difficult spell south of the border, Thomson was keen to make up for lost time – but he revealed the move was made possible thanks to a familiar St Mirren face.

“I played at Falkirk with Jack Ross and we became very good friends,” Thomson said.

“My wife is originally from London and when we had our son, she was desperate to move back down south and I agreed.

“That’s how my move to Brighton came about but I didn’t enjoy it there at all and was keen to try and get myself back up the road.

“I had spoken to Jack, who was at St Mirren by this time, and I believe Gus (MacPherson) had spoken to Jack too to see if I would be interested.

“We had kept our house up here so it was all pretty straightforward.

“It was a great move and probably one that I needed at that point in my career.

“It was a good squad to come into but it was a lot different from what I had probably been used to. It was quite a mature changing room. You had guys like Jim Hamilton, Gary Mason, Jack Ross, John Potter – it was all guys that had been around the block.

“That was the hallmark of a Gus MacPherson side.”

What followed was mostly, three and a half enjoyable years in the black and white stripes. If they weren’t enjoyable for some, then they were definitely action-packed, with countless cup runs, relegation battles and memorable matches thrown in.

However, in hindsight, Thomson admits that the side should have perhaps been pushing further up the table that year.

He said: “On paper we should have done better, without a doubt.

“For whatever reason, we were always unable to get away from relegation scraps. There was one point we thought we were safe but then we went on some crazy run of form that meant we had to win at Falkirk to stay up.

“Of course, we managed that but it should never have got to that stage.

“To say we underachieved is probably fair. But at the same time, under Gus we were never concerned about going down because we knew how we played and how Gus operated.

“We were always strong enough to avoid the drop.”

Now retired from playing, Thomson is focused on his adopted profession as a financial advisor, where clients include former St Mirren players Lewis Morgan, Kenny McLean and Jason Naismith.

Out of contract, and an apparent deal withdrawn at the last moment just when he thought he was going to be staying for one more year, Thomson admits now that he felt forced to hang up his boots – even though it had been his plan all along.

He explained: “My parents had always drilled into me that there is a life after football and that I had to be prepared for whenever the time came.

“That had always stuck with me and when I was still playing I was sitting with my own financial advisor going over some things, and I just asked him ‘How do I do this job?’

“He set out a plan for me and I took it from there, studying over five or six years.

When the time came around that I eventually decided to stop playing I was ready to go straight into the job.

“But leaving St Mirren was a hard one, and I was a bit disappointed in the way that it happened.

“Around the Christmas time, I was pulled in and offered a new contract.

“But come around April I was told the contract is off the table.

“I didn’t want to give up football. I wanted it to be on my terms, but I felt like that opportunity was somewhat taken away from me.”

With his playing days now behind him, Thomson admits he is enjoying the quiet life, where the closest thing he gets to kicking a ball is coaching his son’s side and helping out at a local school in Essex... even if they are oblivious to their coach’s former life.

“I continue to have ties with PFA Scotland so I get my football fix that way. But taking the kids team is brilliant and I really love doing that.

“I’ve had offers in the past to go back into teams and I would never say never but I enjoy what I am doing now.

“The boys I coach probably don’t even know who Tony Mowbray is, never mind me, so I don’t even get the chance to brag about those goals!”